Tamarac

City commissioners approved next year's $109.7 million budget, including a hike in the tax rate and fire fees. The new property tax rate will be $6.77 for every $1,000 in assessed property value – up from $6.66. But this doesn't necessarily mean a tax increase, said Diane Phillips, assistant city manager. The increase is "in order to provide for the collection of the same level of property tax as last year. Taxes may actually decline based on depreciated value. " Since the high in 2008, property values in Tamarac have fallen 43 percent.

Tamarac needs new leadership, one that reflects the voice of its people and not that of lobbyists, according to Mike Gelin, who is running for mayor against incumbent Harry Dressler. "People want to see change; they want someone young to lead the city," said Gelin, who came close to being a commissioner when two city officials voted for him to replace Patti Atkins Grad after she resigned. "They need a leader who is more visible, not someone who attends city commission meetings and then goes home.

Gerald "Gerry" William, who intended to retire in Tamarac but turned his philanthropic efforts into a second career, died at his home Saturday. He was 94. Mr. William was instrumental in Jewish causes in Broward and abroad, serving as a chairman for Jewish Federation of Broward County in the days when it was called the Jewish Federation of Greater Fort Lauderdale. He served as president and treasurer of the Woodlands Country Club in Tamarac and as president of the Cantor Senior Center in Sunrise.

Harry Dressler doesn't sound like a worried man when he talks about Mike Gelin, who is taking him on in the race for Tamarac mayor. "My opponent is a nice guy, but he has zero experience," Dressler, who was appointed mayor by his colleagues after Beth Talabisco was suspended, said in an interview. "With time, education and experience, he will be able to make a contribution to the city's future. I hope he stays committed to the city after Nov. 4; I would be happy to work with him and tutor him on how to do this thing we call local governance.

A man who was shot at a Tamarac apartment complex Sunday night is expected to survive, the Broward Sheriff's Office said. The shooting at the Arbor Keys apartments, 4415 Treehouse Lane, was reported shortly after 8 p.m. Sunday, according to the Sheriff's Office. The shooting happened in a walkway between two apartment buildings, but deputies found the victim inside an apartment, the agency said. Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue took the victim to Broward Health Medical Center, where he was reported to be in stable condition.

The Office of Thrift Supervision has issued "cease and desist" orders against a troubled Tamarac thrift, First East Side Savings Bank, and its parent company for inadequate capital and other violations. The orders give the bank until June 30 to meet capital requirements and give the thrift's holding company, East Side Financial Inc., 45 days to submit a plan to enhance capital and correct problems. Independent banking analyst Ken Thomas of Miami said the orders effective May 20 are among the most serious brought by regulators because of their breadth and specificity.

It's against city code to park in the street, but city officials have agreed it's best to look the other way. The law, passed in 1981, prohibits parking in the street between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. But officials argue at the city's inception, Tamarac had more senior, age-restricted communities and the houses were built with one-car driveways. Senior communities such as Mainlands 6 and Faircrest 14, for example, were built in the 1960s. But now, age restrictions are lifted, and there are more drivers and cars in each house.

The city's new fire chief, Thomas Michael "Mike" Burton, took over Monday, overseeing the $16.1 million budget and 104 employees of the fire-rescue department. Burton, 54, will be paid an annual salary of $145,000. He replaces Chief Jim Budzinski, who retired after 30 years with the city. Burton, who was hired in December, said he's excited about his new role. He will be looking for "opportunities to improve and refine our services. "And I have a chance to have a homecoming back to Florida," he added.

The Broward Sheriff's Office on Thursday identified a Tamarac man as the shooting victim whose body was found in the parking lot of his condo community. Louricaks Siffra, 26, on Wednesday was found dead in a parking lot between two vehicles in the Sun Vista Gardens condominiums, the same complex where Siffra resided, the Sheriff's Office said. Sheriff's detectives are asking the public to step forward with information about the unsolved killing. A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered.

For the second time since July, burglars targeted a Tamarac warehouse in search of cigars. This time, one of the suspects was caught, the Broward Sheriff's Office said. Hermes Perez, 30, of Miami, was arrested shortly after deputies interrupted four suspects who were breaking into the Florida Distributors warehouse at 2700 NW 55th Ct. around 3:30 a.m. Saturday. The burglars left empty- handed, investigators said. Detectives were trying to determine if this was the same group that on July 26 drove a white van into the parking lot, climbed a tree next to the warehouse, pried open bars on the roof and used a rope to shimmy down through a ceiling vent.

Michelle Gomez is running for office for the first time - even though she has represented voters in District 2 twice. Appointed both times to represent voters in the Woodlands, Lime Bay, Concord Village and Versailles Gardens, she now faces a challenger to the four-year commission seat: Stewart Webster. The commission term is four years at a salary of $30,076. Gomez said her accomplishments include approving a new fire station and pushing for the creation of Tamarac Village, the city's Main Street project.

For the first time in his political career, incumbent Commissioner Harry Dressler has competition. In 2006 and 2009, Dressler won his district commission seat automatically. Now he has competition for the city's top elected job: Elberg "Mike" Gelin, a political newcomer who, if elected, would be the city's first black member on the commission. The four-year mayor's position has a salary of $34,532. Dressler is now the mayor, but an appointed one. He was tapped by his colleagues to fill the rest of suspended Mayor Beth Flansbaum-Talabisco's term, which ends in November.

A Tamarac couple have given new meaning to togetherness. In what their doctors called a rare occurrence, Herman Yellin, 95, and his wife, Gloria, 88, recently underwent a cutting-edge procedure to replace their aortic valves, without open-heart surgery, just months apart from each other. Both are now feeling great, months after University of Miami doctors swapped out their ailing valves for new ones by delivering them through the femoral artery via a small incision in the leg. Herman Yellin, who had the procedure first, in November 2013, is even back at the gym, his wife said.

The days of charter schools opening in commercial strip plazas are over in Tamarac. Henceforth, the city will consider special-exception petitions for public or private schools only if the proposed facility will operate out of a free-standing single-use structure that is situated in a lot that is not less than three acres in size. A dedicated drop-off area is another condition for approval. The City Commission also approved, on first reading, another ordinance that prohibits public or private elementary, middle or senior high schools within neighborhood business zoning districts.

A physical activity program that brings together typical children and those with special needs and hearing disabilities has earned Tamarac the tag of one of the most livable cities in the country. Over 200 cities applied; the winners were selected at the US Conference of Mayors by a jury that included former mayors. The Let's Move and Play Together program, a partnership between the city's Parks and Recreation Department and the Center for Hearing and Communication (CHC), brings together children from the city's after school program as well as that of the CHC. Mainstream children play and work together with those who are hard of hearing, with adults standing by to provide assistance.

Remnants of a national tragedy, the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, are being added to Tamarac's memorial display. They include a piece of limestone from the Pentagon and a piece of shale from the airline crash site in Shanksville, Pa. The city's memorial already features shards of steel from the Twin Towers. "We really want to memorialize those men and women, and God willing this tragedy never happens again," said George Gadson, chair of the Public Art committee which set up the display.

After three days and hours of interviews, the City Commission picked a new person to serve with them: Debra Placko. Placko was hand-picked from a field of 11 candidates to replace District 4 Commissioner Harry Dressler, who become the new mayor during Beth Flansbaum-Talabisco's suspension by the governor. A Broward Circuit judge dismissed public corruption charges against Flansbaum-Talabisco, but prosecutors challenged that decision and an appeals court overturned the judge last year.

Embattled Commissioner Patte Atkins-Grad resigned her position Wednesday night, asking the city to give her $8,000. In a private session Thursday night, the City Commission agreed to her demands and asked staff to finalize the agreement and issue the check, Tamarac spokeswoman Elise Boston said. The commission's decision effectively cancels a recall election planned for Oct. 15. Commissioners will appoint a replacement for Atkins-Grad. In her resignation letter, Atkins-Grad said because of a "serious medical issue," she has decided to "revisit my future and reflect on changes to my life and priorities it necessitates.

A new 23-acre city park now has a name: Mainlands Park. It's in, well, the Mainlands. The Tamarac park, on land that was once part of the Monterey Golf Club, will have walking and jogging trails when it opens later this year. Commissioner Pam Bushnell suggested the city "name it the simple thing it's been called. " The idea came from a city employee during a submission process where people turned in 58 names including "Peaceful," "Keylime Park" and "Sunny Acres. " Final approval comes Wednesday.